


Hand in Hand

by mechafly



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Confessions, Gen, M/M, akimaru gets it together, that handholding magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2014-12-09
Packaged: 2018-02-28 19:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2744615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechafly/pseuds/mechafly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruna hears from Abe that the secret to good battery relations might be a spot of hand-holding. He tries it out, with surprising results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hand in Hand

Haruna grabs Akimaru's hands, and waits for the earth to swallow him whole.

It's Takaya who confesses over the phone that he'd had problems, getting his new battery to work, "Until Coach told me to hold his hands in mine." Haruna cackles down the phone at how adorable and hilarious and gay this is until Takaya hangs up. Haruna concludes that while it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard, if it has worked so well for Takaya, the world's lamest awkwardest dweeb, then what's to say? 

He has Akimaru's hands in his own. Chapped, dry skin, square nails, rather thick wrists, these are Akimaru's hands. The earth doesn't swallow him up. Nothing out of the ordinary happens at all. Haruna supposes they are used to touching each other. 

The former captain, Ookami, and manager, Miyashita, visit the team today. Haruna is definitely over his crush on Miyashita. (Though, if she breaks up with Ookami, he'll lend her a manly shoulder to cry on, and surely she'll look up at him with her shiny round eyes and say, "Motoki, it was meant to be us from the start, wasn't it--?") But his meddlesome, well-meaning teammates let slip that his Troubles With Akimaru have not ended.

And Miyashita decides enough is enough. So the whole team marches him down to Akimaru's classroom. For a talk. Then they announce they're leaving while actually lingering around the next corner and spying on him. The dorks. He feels like a girl about to confess to her crush, complete with tittering friends. Ridiculous.

So Haruna tries Takaya's tactic, a ninth-inning move of desperation.

When hand-holding commences, Akimaru stops arguing about his training and falls silent. Thus encouraged, Haruna stares deeply into Akimaru's eyes (covered by smudged glasses, but still) and says, "I believe in you." Blushes a bit, because. 

Akimaru's face twitches. "What?"

Dammit. Haruna feels his face go hot. "Please train with me. I believe in you," he tries again.

A huff of a laugh. "What are you talking about? No, you don't."

"That's not true!" Haruna's not supposed to yell but he's definitely kind of yelling now. "I do! I think you're great!"

"You think I'm terrible." Akimaru grins and takes his hands out of Haruna's. Haruna grabs them back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm-- I'm--" He's trying to remember everything he's been rehearsing in his head. "I'm trying to tell you how much I like you! And not just as a person, as a catcher too." Akimaru offers no response except to gape at him, so Haruna goes on. "I want-- I want to be a battery, a proper one. I think we'd be amazing together." His face is red because even though it's all true, it sounds totally uncool, dammit.

"You're the amazing one." Akimaru's tense. "You're always saying I hold the team back."

Haruna bites back his first few answers. "I think you're amazing. I mean it."

And to his surprise, his cool, totally unflappable best friend seems to be… blushing? "You don't mean it."

"I DO." Haruna grips his hand determinedly. "Granted, you could really learn to throw-- and bunt-- I mean--" Cuts himself off when he hears a pointed cough from behind and hastily continues. "But you're amazing! You have so much talent, and… and you just… You're just… And I'm trying… I want…" But these words sound way too familiar, like he's said them thousands of times before. Tears of frustration prick his eyes as he's reminded of middle school, high school, every game, every practise, their whole lives together. How different it would be. "'N I keep… t-trying… B-But…"

Akimaru peers at him. "Are you… Are you crying?" Like he can't believe his eyes, even though Haruna's stood there in front of him having a breakdown because Takaya's stupid trick didn't work and it's all useless.

"NO." Haruna pulls away to scrub ineffectually at his face with his sleeve.

Akimaru pulls him back. "Don't cry," he murmurs. Stares right into Haruna's face. For all the world like Haruna's a sticky-faced six year old again, bawling from a scraped knee.

"I'M NOT." Manages to hiccup back the tears before he really loses it.

"Okay." Akimaru rubs Haruna's palms with his thumbs, just like he does right before a game to calm Haruna's nerves. Jumps straight into his nervous system, rewires his brain, makes Haruna's neck tingle. "Hey, look. I never wanted to upset you. I know how hard you work. And I know I've been disappointing lately. That last game we lost was…" He sighs. "And I want to be a real battery with you too."

"You do?" 

Akimaru smiles. "Yes! I like catching for you, and I hate losing games. But your expectations are just… I'm not like you, you know? We're just on different levels, I think."

"But I need you. To…"

"Come on, Haruna. You don't need me."

"YES I DO, I DO NEED YOU." Haruna's face is all sticky and hot. "I need you. Without you, I'm just a useless wild pitcher! I can't win games unless we're in it together. For real." He bows his head, eyes screwed shut. "So please tell me you'll train harder with me!"

"I don’t…" Is Akimaru's voice wavering a bit? He doesn't dare look up to find out. It feels like he waits forever like that, Akimaru's hands sweaty and warm in his, hesitant. "If that's really how you feel, then, I'll try, I guess."

Haruna gives him a stern look. "No half-hearted answers."

Akimaru flushes. "Fine! Yes! I'll try my best. But I need you to help me too." Haruna nods. "And not… not make fun of me, or anything." He hesitates. "If I'm disappointing, to begin with."

In his excitement he grips Akimaru's hands tight enough to make him wince. "I won't make fun! I'll help you-- I'll be in charge of all your training--we'll draw up a training plan--and a meal plan--it'll be awesome--in fact, let's cut class now and head to the gym--"

"That's too extreme," Akimaru protests. Haruna shoots a glare his way. "I--okay, fine. Yes. Whatever you want. Let's do this." He falters a bit as he sees the future he's let himself in for. "You're not going to go easy on me, are you?"

Whatever expression is on Haruna's face makes Akimaru stare. And they're still holding hands. "No, I won't. Because you're going to promise. Not to change your mind. This whole year, give me all your time, give me everything, devote everything to being the best you can be. Do you promise?"

Akimaru snaps his gaze away and rolls his eyes. "Yes, Haruna Motoki, I do." 

Haruna's face goes hot again because he's pretty sure he heard a giggle from around the corner. But Akimaru sticks his tongue out and winks, and in that instant Haruna is inspired like he's never been inspired before. And he senses the beginning of… something. 

Something great. Something amazing. 

Maybe better than even he, Haruna, could ever have dared to hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Such as SEX.


End file.
